Who watches over Tennessee's judges?  You know, those black-robed people for whom all persons in a courtroom have to ise when they enter and whom everyone addresses as "Your Honor."  Ever wonder why they wear a robe? It's because, under our form of government where the people get their rights from God, judges are considered direct emissaries of the Supreme being.
Just as we expect our God to be an impartial arbiter, we expect judges to be an extension of God's power and to be impartial. 

So, who makes sure that judges act in fairness to citizens who enter their courtrooms where Lady Justice is featured wearing a blindfold and carrying a set of scales.  That's equal justice under the law.  It's written in stone over the entrance to the U. S. Supreme Court.

      But judges are human.  They are subject to the same pressures that cause those scales to tilt or one eye to peek around that blindfold.  So, when that happens, and it does because are are fallible, who gets to set the record straight?  Who gets to make things right for the people who are
before the judge to be judged.  And we all have equal expectations of equal treatment.

      In Tennessee the body which judges judges is called the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary.  It was created by legislation in 1979 and replaced the Judicial Standards Commission which was created in 1971.  It has 16 members, 12 of whom are judges.  In case you are weak in math, as I am, that's 75% of the body judging their brothers and sisters.  Since 1992, 5193 complaints have been filed with the Court of the Judiciary.  There have been 8 suspensions, 31 public censures, 46 private actions, and 36 deferred disciplinary agreements.  Five judges have been recommended for removal since 1978.  They work behind closed doors, so informaiton is private.  Not good.  Judges take care of their own, so it seems.  75% take care of their own.  The remaining four people are irrelevant.  It all boils down to the fact that the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary is too secretive.

      The public deserves and is entitled to know when judges are called on the carpet.  Why?  Because their actions and decisions have a big effect on us.  And, it's still supposed to be government of, by, and for the people.  Senator Bell is on the right track when he proposed members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees be empowered to investgate judges who offend the sensibilities of voters.

      There are too many judges on the current Court of the Judiciary. The perception, since they work behind closed doors, is that they "take care of their own."  Let's not forget that perception is reality.

      Stay tuned.  The Joint Commission of the General Assembly chaired by Senator Mae Beavers and Eric Watson is going to hopefully change the status quo.  They are in the midst of hearings as we speak.

BREAKING COMMENTARY

      Excitement and enthusiasm were rampant Saturday morning.  It takes an event of magnitude to draw people out early on a Saturday morning here in Cookeville.  But we had a big event and folks turned out to see Herman Cain make two appearances.

      Close to 400 turned out at Southern Hills Golf and Country Club at 6:30 a.m. for a continental breakfast and meet and greet.  Cain, the first Presidential candidate to speak publically in Cookeville since Estes Kefauver in the 1950s, rolled in in a big red bus emplazed with his likeness.  His message of not being a politician and his plan to represent the common man in
Washington along with his 9-9-9 plan resonated well with Cookevillians.

      At his second appearance at TTU some 1600 showed up.  His message was about empowerment over entitlement--it was a message of common sense.

      His meteoric rise in the polls reflects his popularity.